In the Year of the Dog
by ylana
Summary: Shigure has finally bought a house. But can he really start a new life, away from the main house? And when Yuki comes to live with him, it's not going to make things easier... Mainly Shigure centric.Some Mubudachitrio.Hints of AkiGure.
1. A new Beginning

**In the Year of the Dog**

Disclaimer: The idea and characters belong to the brilliant Natsuki Takaya. I own nothing, and I'm not making any money with this story. This disclaimer applies to all chapters of this story. (I'm way too lazy write this again at the beginning of every chapter.)

* * *

**A new Beginning**

_Inuko sank to his knees, pressing his forehead against the rough hardwood fl__oor, almost sobbing with relief. This was what he had been searching for, longing for, praying for. It was the silver line on the horizon, the light at the end of the tunnel: A new beginning._

_ From: "In the Year of the Dog" by Shigure Souma, chapter 15_

* * *

"Oh, Gure-saan!" Ayame Souma wailed unhappily and stopped to untangle a few strands of his long, silver hair from a bush. "You know you have my utter and unconditional trust, but are you quite positive that this is the right way?"

His cousin, who had just been about to squeeze through a gap between two young oak trees, looked back and immediately hurried to Ayame's assistance.

"Aya!" he cried, gently picking a small branch out of his hair. "I am terribly sorry! I should have warned you of the perils of the underbrush! Now I shoulder the blame for you loosing some of your precious hair!"

He tearily eyed the single silver hair that clung to the braches of the bush. The third member of the group just rolled his eyes.

"Stop making a big fuss, you two!" he said sternly. "Ayame has more than enough hair on his head."

"But Tori-san!" Ayame protested.

Hatori raised a hand to silence one of his cousins and looked at the other inquiringly. "Seriously, Shigure. This forest is getting nastier by the minute. Is it far yet?"

"Not at all!" Shigure assured him. "Just a few more steps and you can already see it!" He smiled happily at his cousins and added: "And you know what's best? We are already on my property!" He gestured enthusiastically with both hands to indicate their surroundings. "The whole area belongs to the house! It's huge! Well… the ground's a bit unstable in places, and of course the woods are a wilderness – that's why it was so cheap! Isn't it wonderful?"

A geologically unstable jungle wasn't exactly Hatori's idea of "wonderful", but since he knew from experience that it was useless to argue with Shigure, he decided to save his breath and just said: "Let's go on, alright?!"

* * *

Shigure hadn't lied – technically. After they had scrambled through the brush of oaks, they could see the house. Or, at least, the tip of its roof, peeking out from the valley below them. To reach the valley floor and make their way to the doorstep, they needed another half an hour.

"You are aware of the fact that you're going to have to make that journey every time you want to go into town?" Hatori asked, brushing leaves out of his hair and clothes.

"Oh, it's not really that far, you know." Shigure beamed. "We only needed so long because there are a few trees in the way. Once I've cleared the path, it's going to be no farther than five minutes away from the main road."

"A _few_ trees." Hatori muttered under his breath. His cousin had an amazing ability to interpret reality the way it suited him.

He didn't pursue the topic, however, because now Shigure stepped up on the front porch, turned around and spread his arms in a dramatic gesture: "My friends! Welcome to my new home! What do you think of it?"

Hatori gave the building in front of his eyes a long, scrutinizing look, before commenting with his usual honesty: "It's a ruin."

Ayame however eyed the house with a dreamy expression while absently braiding his hair over his left shoulder.

"A house in the woods," he gushed, "forgotten by the world… oh Gure-san, it is so romantic!" Now that he was standing safely on the porch, his ordeals in the woods were forgotten.

"Isn't it?" Shigure agreed amiably, threw open the door – or rather, the tattered wooden frame that once might have been a door – and ushered them in.

"It needs some renovating, of course, but I had Hideki-san – you remember, Ha-san, that architecture student with the glasses, who's always wearing those weird plaid shirts – take a look at it and he said the basic structures and the roof are all sound. It just needs some new doors and windows and it'll be perfect!"

"And some new floors… and stairs… and furniture," Hatori added, letting his eyes wander through the room.

"Now, Ha-san, don't be such a spoilsport!" Shigure complained. "It might not be a palace, but at least it's my own!"

Suddenly realizing the impact of his own words, Shigure leaned against the wooden doorframe and closed his eyes. "I have a home again," he whispered. "I belong somewhere…"

Detecting a slight tremor in his cousin's voice, Hatori turned around and was shocked to see a single tear escape from under Shigure's closed eyelid and roll silently down his cheek.

"Shigure-" he started.

Shigure snapped out of his reverie and hastily forced a smile on his face. "Besides," he said, "this house perfectly suits my objective!"

Hatori refused to swallow the bait.

"Those last two years were hard for you, weren't they?" he asked calmly.

They still didn't know why Shigure had so abruptly left Souma Estate almost two years ago. What they did know was that he'd dropped out of university the very next day and vanished on a six-months-long backpacking trip all around Japan. It had seemed like he was running from something, but whatever that something was – if it wasn't the general misery of life within the Souma family – they couldn't fathom.

He returned with his hair much longer and messier than before and with a hard determination in his eyes that Hatori had never seen there before. Instead of returning to Souma Estate, as everybody had expected him to, he moved into a filthy little apartment in one of the worst neighbourhoods in town and began to work in an almost maniacal manner; writing for three different newspapers at a time and having half a dozen other jobs in restaurants, bars and factories throughout town. Hatori, remembering the lazy, happy-go-lucky youth his cousin had been, worried, but didn't ask – and Shigure didn't explain.

To be sure, his manners didn't seem to change all that much: Whenever they saw him, he laughed and joked and flirted with Ayame, just like he ever had. But Hatori couldn't help but notice that he dropped a lot of weight, and smoked a lot more cigarettes. And didn't his jokes seem a little forced, his flirtations just a little desperate?

Still, Hatori didn't ask, and Shigure didn't explain. Until two days ago, when he had suddenly called them at the main house to announce that he'd bought a house.

Seeing him now, trying so very hard to regain his composure, his trademark light-heartedness all but shattered, Hatori decided this still wasn't the time to start asking questions. Stepping up to Shigure, he lightly laid hand on his elbow.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll help you make this place habitable." In a rare gesture of affection, he brushed a few much-too-long bangs out of his cousin's face and added: "You should really cut your hair."

Ayame chose that moment to return from his stroll around the house and Hatori hastily stepped back as the silver-haired man flung his arms around Shigure and cried: "Gure-san! What's wrong, love?"

Shigure smiled at him a bit shakily. "I'm fine, Aya. Don't worry."

After a moment, the smile turned into a grin and he added: "Breathing is not optional, you know."

"Huh?" Ayame looked puzzled for a moment, then, with an answering grin, he released his smothering hold on his cousin.

"Sorry, Gure-san. I got carried away in my endless love and care for you!"

"And how lucky a man I am to possess the love of somebody as noble and generous as you!"

"You'll have my love to the end of the world!" Ayame assured him dramatically, taking both his hands.

"And I'll never stop loving you in return; not even when hell freezes over and the seven seas burn to ashes!"

They gave each other thumps-up, yelled "ALRIGHT!" in unison, and dissolved into laughter.

Hatori sighed and rolled his eyes, secretly relieved to see Shigure back to his usual self. Thank God for Ayame being always able to brighten the mood in moments like this!

Hatori fished his cigarettes out of his pocket, stuck one between his lips and offered another one to Shigure, who gratefully accepted.

"So…," Hatori started, giving first Shigure and then himself fire, "what is the objective you mentioned earlier?"

Shigure took a long drag on his cigarette and exhaled the smoke together with an irritated huff. "_Now_ you want to know…," he said accusingly.

"Gure-san has an objective?" Ayame chimed in, curiously. "Quick, tell us all about it!"

Shigure pouted for another few moments, and when he finally opened his mouth, what came out was so unexpected that Hatori wasn't sure whether he was answering their question or creating another distraction.

"You know," Shigure began, dropping to the floor and lazily stretching his arms over his head, "this place isn't too far away from the main house, but far enough to be out of immediate reach. It is tranquil and secluded, with lots of space to breathe. It'll be the perfect place for Yuki to recuperate."

"Yuki?" Hatori repeated, not sure if he'd heard right. He sat down next to Shigure.

Ayame followed their example, looking back and forth between them, confusion showing in his gold eyes. "Yuki," he mumbled vaguely. "He's one of our cousins, isn't he?"

They stared at him, disbelieve in one's eyes, sadness and a trace of anger in the other's.

"Yuki is _our_ cousin," Hatori said pointedly. "But he's _your_ little brother!"

"Oh… right." Ayame averted his gaze and began to trace silly patterns in the dust on the floor.

Hatori sighed and turned to face Shigure again. "What brought that up all of a sudden?" he asked. "You haven't seen Yuki in two years, have you?"

"No," Shigure admitted. "But I had a little talk with Hatsuharu the other day. He asked me to take Yuki away from the main house."

He hesitated and cast an uncertain glance in Ayame's direction, then he continued: "From what he said, Haru seemed to think Yuki was dying."

Ayame's head shot up. "Dying?!" The horror in his voice was genuine. "But why?"

"To say he was dying might be a little exaggerated," Hatori tried to calm him. He took a long drag on his cigarette and closed his eyes, thinking of his latest visit to his father's office. Then again, maybe it wasn't…

"Yuki is very unwell indeed," he said reluctantly. "His asthma has gotten a lot worse, he's underweight, and lately – he is refusing to speak."

"But… why…?" Ayame whispered, shaking his head in denial and bringing his hands up to his ears as if trying to block out the words. They all knew why, of course.

Still Hatori continued, forcing himself to say the words, forcing Ayame to hear them. "My father says there's no physical reason for it. It's psychological. If he isn't removed from - "

He hesitated. Even though they all knew from whom Yuki had to be removed, it was something that couldn't be said. Ever.

"If he isn't removed from the main house soon…" He left the sentence unfinished, hanging threateningly in the air between them.

"And I'm the only one who _can_ remove him from the main house," Shigure said after a moment, stating the obvious.

"Akito won't allow it," Hatori said.

Shigure shrugged. "I wasn't planning on asking her permission."

Hatori gave him a long, calculating look. Not that long ago, he would have sworn that his cousin would never burden himself with the responsibility for a child. But then, Shigure _had_ changed.

Hatori made his decision. "If you are really serious about this, I'll help you convince Akito."

To his surprise, Shigure shook his head. "No, Ha-san. Don't do that!"

"Why not?"

Shigure ground his cigarette into the floor and gazed at Hatori intensely. "In a few more years, you will be Akito's doctor. She will need you. She needs to be able to trust you. Therefore, you should try not to oppose her in any major way."

Hatori returned his gaze numbly. He knew his responsibility. He had to agree with Shigure. But he didn't have to like it.

He followed his cousin's example in grinding his cigarette on the floor – Shigure would have to change the floorboards anyway – and stood.

"I have to get back. I'm doing a practical at the hospital this month, and I have to be there at five in the morning. Are you coming, Ayame?"

"Yes." The other man didn't follow him straight away though, but reached out and gingerly touched Shigure's knee to attract his attention in an unusually subdued manner. Shigure looked at him.

"Are you going to help Yuki, Gure-san?"

"Yes, I'm going to help him," Shigure answered calmly. Getting to his feet, he offered a hand to Ayame.

Ayame pulled himself up; then, standing, he brought Shigure's hand up to his face to press it against his cheek for a second. Then he dropped it and hastily walked out the door.

Hatori suddenly had to swallow.

"You're… sure you're going to be comfortable here?" he asked, just to fill the silence.

"Yes." Shigure smiled. "I have my sleeping bag, my camping stove, …"

Hatori looked around the house once more and for the first time saw it as Shigure must see it.

As a sanctuary.

"It's going to be beautiful," he said quickly, before he could change his mind again.

His eyes met with Shigure's, he saw the understanding and kindness in them – mixed with just a little amusement – and thought again how much his friend had matured.

He would have liked to give him a hug for farewell, but didn't really know how to do it. He had never been good at expressing his feelings physically.

In the end, he just lightly touched Shigure's elbow again and said: "You've worked hard for this. Be sure to get some rest now."

Shigure nodded and walked him to the door. Outside, Hatori met up with Ayame, who seemed to have regained his composure, and started on the long scramble through the woods, back to the road, where they had left the car. Before the underbrush swallowed them completely, Hatori looked back once again and saw Shigure smiling and waving on the porch of his new home.

"Be safe," he whispered.

* * *

tbc

* * *


	2. Essential Truths

**Essential truths**

_Sometimes, his whole life seemed like a gamble to him. Why was it that every time he thought he'd gained some control, something happened to throw everything out of balance again?_

"_Congratulations. You have just learned one of life's essential truths," Fudo stated. _

_Inuko lifted his head to look at the old man._

"_We never are prepared," Fudo continued. "No matter how old we get, how much experience we acquire, some events will always catch us off-guard. That's part of human nature. Also, it's a good thing. Because it's times like this that shape our character the most; that help us to become a stronger person. The only thing we have to do is to meet these challenges with confidence and hope, and the knowledge that life goes on; no matter what."_

_ From: "In the Year of the Dog" by Shigure Souma, chapter 9_

* * *

"Good morning, Shigure-san!"

The porter had a hard time hiding his surprise at his sight. Shigure's visits to Souma Estate in the last one and a half years had been sporadic, and he'd never come in officially through the main gate, but rather snug in through the small gate that was used by the servants, or even climbed the wall like he and Ayame used to do during their high school years after long – and forbidden – nights of partying around town.

"Good morning," Shigure answered politely. "Can you please tell Akito-san that I am here and wish to speak to him?"

Now the surprise was even more obvious. People usually were summoned by the head of family. They didn't request to speak to him. Still, the porter picked up the phone to call the main house. Shigure leaned against the wall of the porter's lodge, enjoying the first rays of sunlight warming his skin. He more felt than heard somebody coming up beside him.

"Shigure!" a soft voice called out. "What an unexpected sight, so early in the morning!"

Shigure turned towards the speaker. He had to blink against the bright morning sun, but he didn't really need his eyes to recognize the silent, almost cat-like way of moving and that voice, sounding like frozen honey.

"Jiro-san."

The tiger of the Zodiac inclined his head in a mock-bow and stepped closer towards him. "What brings you here, Shigure, after all this time?" He asked in a would-be-concerned voice.

At that moment, the porter stuck his head of his window and announced to Shigure:

"Akito-sama is willing to receive you and awaits you in his breakfast-parlour."

"Oh… that it is, isn't it?" Jiro chuckled. It almost sounded like purring. "You'd better be careful, Puppy! Remember how your dealings with our beloved head of family ended the last time…" With that, he bowed again and strolled away down the alley.

Shigure tried to ignore the sudden cold shudder running down his spine.

"Thank you," he said to the porter and made his way to the huge mansion in the centre of the compound.

When he'd visited Souma Estate, he'd gone to the family homes of the Jyuunishi, most often to Hatori's and Ayame's. He'd never entered the main house, where Akito lived and from where she ruled over this strange and almost independent world that was the Souma's.

He'd forgotten how long the mansion's corridors were, how empty and silent. The atmosphere reminded him of a mausoleum.

And then he was standing in front of the parlour door. His mouth felt dry. Suddenly, the simple task of lifting a hand and knocking on the door seemed too hard to perform. How often during his absence had he imagined this moment? How many speeches, how many grand explanations had he rehearsed for the day of their reunion? Now he knew he wouldn't give any of them. Because he knew: If he tried to say any of this, he'd break down and start to cry, or fall at her feet and beg for forgiveness. And that could never happen. He couldn't – wouldn't be weak in front of her.

He rapped his hand against the door two times.

"Come."

The voice that called out was crisp and dark; the voice of a complete stranger. In fact, hadn't he known better, he would have thought it was a man calling instead of a young girl.

Shigure swallowed and pushed the door open.

The curtains were draped over the windows, leaving the room in shadow. The light from the corridor threw a sharp, bright lance into the semi-darkness, until Shigure closed the door behind him and shut it out.

Akito was sitting at the low table, both hands resting on its surface. Her gaze was directed towards her hands, her ebony bangs hiding her face.

As Shigure walked towards her, the soft sounds of his bare feet on the wooden floor seemed incredibly loud in his ears.

She didn't invite him to join her at the table, so he knelt down a short distance away and waited for her to acknowledge his presence. Seconds passed, in which his own breathing seemed to be the only sound in the room. Didn't she breathe at all?

Suddenly, her head snapped up in an abrupt movement, and they stared at each other for the first time since his departure from Souma Estate two years ago.

The change that had heralded itself back then was now completed: There was no innocence left in her face or the stiff posture of her body. The yukata she wore seemed several sizes too large for her slender frame, covering up whatever figure she might have acquired in the past years. His nose caught a faint whiff of a men's perfume masking her own sweet scent.

Still, her jade green eyes were as mesmerizing as ever. Right now, they were filled with disgust, but he wasn't sure if it was directed at him or at the half-eaten piece of rusk on the plate beside her.

She obviously wasn't well. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent and she seemed to shiver ever so slightly. It made him want to drape a blanket over her shoulders, or suggest she go sit out in the sun for a while to warm up. But he remained silent.

"So you finally come crawling back," she stated in that new, crisp voice of hers.

"No, Akito-san. I'm just a visitor."

He'd never called her that when they were alone. The formal title stood between them like a wall of ice.

"You choose to stay homeless, then. A stray mutt."

In his head, he'd called himself the exact same thing far too often to even flinch at the insult now.

"No, Akito-san," he repeated, shaking his head. "I've made myself a new home. I've bought a house, a couple of weeks ago."

Upon arriving at the estate, he'd vowed to remain aloof and distant, but being near her again, his resolve wavered and he couldn't stop the warmth from creeping into his voice as he described it to her: "It's in the middle of a forest. The air smells like wood and wildflowers, and every morning I wake up to the songs of the birds. It's beautiful! I really whish you could see it…"

Her jaw clenched at his words. She picked up the rusk from her plate and began absent-mindedly crumbling it to pieces between her fingers. Shigure wondered vaguely if she imagined him to be that piece of bread. His voice trailed off.

However, when she spoke, her voice held no anger. In fact, it held no emotion at all.

"If you love it that much, maybe you should get back to it now."

He nodded, accepting the dismissal. Still, he didn't move yet, but said in as calm and kind a voice as he could muster: "I am taking Yuki with me."

The room seemed to chill several degrees. He waited for an outburst of temper, but it didn't come.

"Because of the air?"

That puzzled him. "The air?"

"Hatori said there was something in the air here that Yuki might be allergic to. It's giving him trouble to breathe."

He almost smiled. Good, old Hatori! Always trying to protect the people he loved. Shigure decided to accept his gift for now.

"Yes, that's what he told me, too. I thought it might be good for Yuki to come live at my place for a while. As I said, it's in the middle of a forest. Lot's of clean air…"

He concentrated on not holding his breath while the moments ticked passed. Finally, one of her hands slowly vanished into the folds of her yukata and produced a key.

Shigure got to his feet and stepped up to the table. As he took it from her hand, their fingers touched lightly for a split second. Her skin felt hot and dry and his own seemed to burn for minutes after the sensation of touching her was gone. He bowed and walked to the door.

"Shigure."

Her voice stopped him. He turned around.

"Come by; report on how he's doing."

He bowed again. "Yes, Akito-san."

He let himself out onto the corridor, leaving her in the darkness. He tried in vain to feel some triumph over this small victory.

* * *

The silence he left behind screamed at her. Her carefully maintained posture falling apart, she buried her head in her hands. She stayed like this for a long time, listening to her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

Finally gathering her strength, she got to her feet and picked up the plate with the crumbled rusk with both hands. With slow, tired steps she made her way to the slide-door that led out into the garden.

The bright sunlight outside was like a dagger being drilled into her skull. Sinking to the ground, she set down the plate beside her, leaned against the wall of the building and pressed her forehead to her knees.

She heard the rustling of delicate wings, and the small chirps as the birds came to eat what was supposed to be her breakfast. Birds didn't only live in the forest. There were some here at Souma Estate, too. But she couldn't hear their songs in the darkness.

* * *

Hatori was waiting for him in the corridor. Relief was written plainly on his face, as Shigure smiled faintly and held up the key.

"You're a magician."

Shigure shook his head and walked up to his friend.

"Ha-san lied for me," he whispered. For no reason at all, he suddenly felt like crying.

"It wasn't that much of a lie," Hatori countered. "Living in this house _is_ making Yuki ill, only it's not an allergy that causes the illness."

Shigure gave a short laugh. "Seems like I'm finally rubbing off on you."

Hatori smiled, but the smile faded away and tense silence settled around them once more, as they made their way to the one room in the house that was never mentioned by either family or servants.

Shigure unlocked the door. He'd initially intended to leave the key in the hole, but thought better of it. There was no need for Akito being able to lock somebody else in here. He slipped the key into his pocket to throw it into the trash later. Of course, it was always possible that she had a spare key somewhere.

The room had no windows. Its walls were painted black, a black that seemed to swallow the light falling in from the corridor, creating the illusion of standing at the edge of an abyss.

The light didn't quite reach the small figure that lay curled up in the far corner. Hatori quickly stepped towards it. Shigure followed much more hesitantly. Never having seen the room before, only having heard Hatori speak about it, he had to fight down a slight feeling of nausea.

Hatori knelt next to the tiny bundle on the floor.

"Yuki," he called gently. "Yuki, can you hear me?"

A small whimper answered his voice.

"It's alright, Yuki. Everything's going to be fine now." Hatori's soft murmur floated through the darkness like soothing warmth.

He picked up the child in his arms and stepped past Shigure onto the corridor. Shigure followed and closed the door behind him.

Then he ventured a look at his new charge.

He seemed very small and frail for an eleven-year-old. His yukata was ragged and dirty, the silvery-grey hair a mess. Violet eyes flickered over Shigure without really seeing him, then fell shut. Shigure's stomach clenched at the sight of the bloody streaks that covered the child's bare feet and ankles.

"I… am very relieved you're doing this," Hatori said quietly.

Shigure could only nod.

"We'd better get going immediately, before Akito changes her mind or something."

'She won't' Shigure would have liked to say. But truth was; Akito had always been volatile.

"I've already packed Yuki's things, since I didn't know how rapid an escape you might have to make," Hatori explained, leading the way to where he had parked his car. "I've also bought a few extra changes of clothing. He might need them now that he's getting a real life."

They arrived at the car.

"The key is in my back pocket," Hatori said, needing both hands to hold Yuki. "Could you..?"

Shigure fished the key out of Hatori's pocket, unlocked the car with it and stuck it into the ignition. Afterwards, he took a seat on the passenger's side and Hatori settled the boy on his lap.

It was then when it became real to him. Until now, he'd thought about it, and talked about it, but it hadn't been _real_. But now he felt the heat of a frail body pressed up against his, felt tiny hands fisting in his hair as Yuki clung to his neck. And he realized that the responsibility for this battered, damaged child was now his. Was he really up to it?

The feeling of pressure he'd become so familiar with in the last two years settled around his heart. He could feel the familiar headache starting to build in his left temple.

Irritated, he shook his head. There was no need for this. If he'd learned one thing during his travels throughout Japan, and during the time after, when he'd worn his hands to the bone working in order to earn enough money to buy the house, it was this: Whatever happened would happen; and it would be alright, one way or another.

"Qué será, será," Shigure murmured, resting his cheek against the soft grey hair, as Hatori sat behind the steering wheel and started the car.

He wouldn't put himself under too much pressure over this. And he wouldn't put this child – his child – under pressure either.

* * *

tbc


	3. Reach out a Hand

**Reach out a H****and**

_Inuko shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around himself. Maybe he shouldn't have run away from home. At the time, it had seemed like his only option. But now he was cold, hungry and afraid. He felt completely alone in the world._

"_You look like you could use a warm meal and a dry place for the night," a voice above his head said. _

_Inuko squinted through the rain. It was the old tramp he'd seen in the park earlier. Feeling a bit suspicious, Inuko scrutinized the man. He looked harmless enough, though. His clothes were ragged and so dirty it made Inuko shiver. He looked old and used up, marked by age and suffering. But he had a kind smile, and his eyes were cheerful and undefeated._

"_Who are you?" Inuko asked. _

_The other's smile turned into a toothless grin. "Well, you can call me Fudo!" the tramp answered. "But I'm not going to stand around in the rain, making introductions. I'm off to a dry place and a warm meal. You can come along!" _

_He offered a gnarled hand. Inuko hesitated. _

_Fudo shrugged. "Or you can just stay here and freeze to your death." _

_Inuko took the outstretched hand._

_ From: "In the Year of the Dog" by Shigure Souma, chapter 4_

* * *

Sunlight was dancing over his closed eyelids. Cocooned in soft warmth, Yuki gave a content little sigh and snuggled deeper into the pillows, listening to the sound of birds singing. This was a wonderful dream. He didn't want to wake up. But the harder he was trying to hold on to sleep, the faster it was eluding him.

Surrendering, he opened his eyes, expecting to fall back into cold darkness.

Instead, the brightness intensified and he had to blink rapidly as his eyes started to water from the blinding light.

After a few moments they adjusted and he could carefully look around. He was definitely not in the Black Room any more. But he wasn't in any of the rooms he knew at the main house either, or at his mother's house on Souma Estate. This room looked sparse and strangely worn down, yet it had an open and welcoming feel to it.

He was lying on a futon below the open window. And somebody he seemed to vaguely remember from somewhere was sitting on the floor at the foot of the futon, scribbling away in a notice book.

Before he could pinpoint who exactly this someone was, the young man looked up from his writing, meeting Yuki's gaze. A warm smile spread over his face, and there was laughter in his eyes as he cast the notice book and pen aside and called out: "Hey there, Yuki-kun! Rise and shine! A new day has begun!"

* * *

Utterly confused, Yuki sat up and stared at the young man. Before he could collect his thoughts enough to come up with any kind of reaction, the door opened with a grinding sound and another person entered the room.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief: It was Hatori.

"Good morning, Yuki," Hatori said, sitting down on the floor next to the futon. With a glance at his watch he added: "Actually, it's almost noon. You slept quite soundly."

His piercing bronze eyes fixed on Yuki intently.

"We fetched you from Souma House early this morning," he continued. "You are now at Shigure's house. Do you remember Shigure? He's your cousin and cursed by the spirit of the dog."

Yuki scrutinized the young man once more. A distant, blurred memory popped into his head: A New Year's Eve; his little cousin Momiji jumping on somebody else's back, happily crying…

"…Shii-chan," Yuki mumbled.

"Exactly!" Hatori looked overjoyed to hear Yuki speak. Shigure, on the other hand, suddenly looked rather… sad?... angry?... Yuki couldn't quite read the expression. Maybe his cousin didn't like to be called by that nickname?

A moment later, the strange expression was gone and Shigure was smiling again.

"As you can see, your new home still needs some renovations. But there is an advantage to that: You get to choose the wallpaper!"

Yuki stared. New home? Wallpaper? He didn't understand a thing!

"You'll be staying here with Shigure," Hatori explained. "You won't go back to the Main House."

"Unless you want to, of course!" Shigure added.

It took a while for the words to sink in.

"St-stay… here?" Yuki stammered.

He looked from Shigure's laughing eyes to Hatori's serious, assuring ones. It was real.

"A-Akito…?"

"Akito decided it might be good for your health to live with me for a while."

Yuki saw Hatori frown a little at that. It _did_ seem strange, to be sure. Thinking about other people's health didn't sound like something Akito would do.

"Of course if you believe I'm too terrible to live with…," Shigure piped up again, looking like a puppy that'd just been beaten by its master.

Yuki hastily shook his head. He didn't want his cousin to think he didn't like him.

Shigure's face immediately lit up again. "That's settled then! C'mon, let's find you something to eat!"

* * *

Still feeling overwhelmed, Yuki followed the adults out of the door and down a narrow corridor. Same as the room he had woken up in, the whole house seemed worn-down and a little rotten, as if it had been neglected for a long time.

"Please excuse the condition the place is in, Yuki-kun," Shigure said, leading them down a rather steep flight of stairs. "It is still pretty rustic… Watch out, here's a step missing!"

"_Rustic_ is a euphemism!" Hatori grumbled, making one big step over the gap in the stairs. "And this," he turned around to make sure Yuki got over the gap alright "-is dangerous!"

"I know," Shigure admitted. "New stairs are right on top of the to-do-list."

Meanwhile, they had arrived in the "kitchen", which consisted of a gas-powered camping stove and a plastic basin underneath a rusty tap.

"So, Yuki-kun, what would you like for breakfast?" Shigure asked. "There's rice… rice… and more rice!" He laughed again.

"You call this rice?" Hatori asked, eying the sticky, greyish mass suspiciously.

"I guess so," Shigure replied absent-mindedly. He was busy peering into another pot.

"Oh, there are some steamed vegetables here as well! We'll just mix everything together; then it'll be warmed up faster!"

With that, Shigure tipped the contents of both pots together and placed the mixture on the stove.

Registering Hatori's slightly disgusted expression, he frowned.

"What's that, Ha-san? You don't expect me to cook a menu with five courses on a camping stove now, do you?"

"Don't you think you could use a proper stove in here?" Hatori asked back, opening the slide door that led out onto the porch. "As well as a sink?"

"Yea, yea," Shigure agreed, his upper body stuck in a large wooden box. He emerged a few seconds later with a plate and cutlery which he triumphantly thrust into Yuki's hands.

"A proper kitchen is right on top of the to-do list!"

Yuki looked around a bit helplessly, then – as the room obviously lacked a table and chairs – sat down next to Hatori at the small table on the porch.

"I thought the stairs were on top of the list," Hatori said. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and hesitantly turned it in his fingers.

"Cigarette smoke is very unhealthy for people with asthma," Shigure reprimanded, carrying the pot out onto the porch. "It's in that book you made me read."

"Don't distract!" Hatori ordered sternly. But he shoved the cigarette back into his pocket. "You don't even have a to-do-list, do you?"

Shigure just laughed and shovelled a generous portion of rice and veggies on Yuki's plate. Yuki took a tentative spoonful: It didn't taste that bad. Not as bad as it looked anyway.

"Without a plan on how to go about this renovation, you'll never see the end of it."

"Oh, I have a plan!" Shigure claimed, dropping down beside them. "It's just that it's flexible!"

Hatori rolled his eyes.

"And you have to admit that I worked really hard; clearing the whole path to the road in just two weeks!"

Hatori eyed the large piles of wood in front of the house. "What are you going to do with all that?"

Shigure followed his glance. "Burn it, I guess. It's not much use for anything else!" He looked thoughtful for a second, then smiled: "Actually, that's just the idea! We can make a campfire tonight! That'll be just perfect for our guests!"

"Guests?"

"Yea, Kureno's coming over with some friends from school."

"Kureno?" Hatori asked. "Why would he come over? I thought you didn't like him?"

"Well, I don't generally enjoy his company," Shigure agreed. "The poor lad wouldn't recognize a joke if it bit him right in the – "

Hatori coughed.

Shigure catched himself, giving Yuki a glance and an apologetic grin, and continued: "Anyway, he's having trouble with a drama project they are doing in English classes; and, out of pure generosity, I have offered my help."

"_Pure generosity,_" Hatori repeated, even more suspicious now.

"You know. Like I always am." Shigure tried hard to keep a straight face and failed miserably.

He propped his elbows onto the table, resting his chin in his hands and explained to Yuki: "Kureno's going to the same highschool Ha-san and I went to. It's a boys-only-school: Probably the most boring thing in existence! But," he continued, an evil gleam appearing in his eyes, "it is hard to perform _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ with an entirely male cast, therefore they are doing a co-project with the girls-only-school next door. And that, my boy…" Shigure looked up. Four people had appeared at the edge of the clearing. The sunlight gleamed on the boy's auburn hair, and on the long hair of the three girls that accompanied him. "…is without a doubt the most wonderful thing in existence!" he finished with ill-concealed triumph.

Hatori groaned. "And here I was, thinking you'd actually matured being forced to stand on your own two feet! I should have known better!"

Shigure laughed delightedly and stood up. "Now, don't be a hypocrite, Ha-san. You know very well how often _you_ climbed the wall to get into the yard of the girls school."

Hatori muttered something about being "dragged along".

Shigure ignored him. Stepping around the table, he gave Hatori a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "You were quite popular with the ladies! But I won't go into detail; we don't want to spoil the innocent ears of young Yuki here, do we?"

He gave them a wink, jumped off the porch and bounded away over the clearing to welcome the visitors, all the while giggling like a maniac.

Hatori banged his head on the table. "Please shoot me!" he mumbled.

* * *

After the introductions were done, and Hatori had taken a rather hasty leave, Kureno followed Shigure into the kitchen to help with the tea.

"Thank you for inviting us over, Shigurenii-san," Kureno said, while Shigure filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove. "Akito-san wouldn't have liked us meeting at Souma House, and none of the others has much space at home."

"Well, you're welcome," Shigure said. "You know how much I always enjoy your spirited conversation!"

"Err… really?" Kureno asked, missing the sarcasm. "Thank you."

Shigure withstood the urge to roll his eyes by concentrating on finding enough cups for everyone.

He was quiet for a while, cleaning out the cups and arranging them on the tray.

Suddenly he asked: "Did I chicken out on you?"

Kureno blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Shigure sighed. "Out of the younger generation, we are the oldest: Aya, Ha-san and I. We always felt that we should look after you, somehow… protect you. I know the little ones relied on influence over Akito-san. And still I just up and left; at a time when maybe my presence was needed the most… So: Did I let you down?"

"I don't know."

Shigure sighed again, a bit impatient this time.

"You're not helpful at all!" he complained, grabbing the tea tray and carrying it outside.

* * *

"No offence, Yuki-kun, but that yukata looks as if you've been sleeping in it for weeks," Shigure said half an hour later, when the teenagers finally got out their copies of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ and settled in for work. "How about taking a bath and getting dressed in something clean?"

Yuki nodded; relieved to get away from all the people he didn't know.

"You'll even be the first to use my brand-new bathtub," Shigure said, leading the way into a bathroom that indeed looked by far better than the rest of the house. "Only installed yesterday!"

He turned on the taps and felt with his hand for a nice water temperature.

Yuki started to undo the belt of his yukata, when something occurred to him: "Err… Did you bring any of my clothes from the Main House?"

Shigure straitened up und dried his hand on his jeans.

"But of course! Ha-san packed everything up for you! It's all upstairs. Just stay right here, and I'll get you something!"

He walked to the door. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a minute to help you with everything!"

"I'm not worried," Yuki mumbled. "This it not the first time in my life I'm taking a bath, you know!"

He then blushed about his own impoliteness.

But Shigure just laughed, waving his apologies away, and vanished through the door, pulling it shut behind him. "Back in a sec!"

He heard him bounding up the stairs.

* * *

Yuki sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched the water pour out of the taps, shaking his head in puzzled amusement. That cousin of his was a strange person!

'He seems to be in a hurry', Yuki thought, listening to Shigure's hasty footsteps overhead. 'I just hope he doesn't fall over the gab in the st-'

There was a loud, smashing sound, followed by a rather colourful curse.

'Too late!,' Yuki thought. He turned off the taps.

"Shigurenii-san? What are you doing?" Kureno's voice came from the porch.

"Nothing!" Shigure called back, sounding pissed off. "Just trying a stunt you might want to use in the play!"

"We don't really need any stunts; but thank you!"

Yuki could almost hear Shigure roll his eyes. His cousin's footsteps went past the bathroom, still accompanied by muttered curses. A moment later Yuki heard him rummaging around outside.

Few minutes after, Shigure trotted in again and began hammering around on the stairs. Yuki figured that whatever he was doing might take a while and decided to get into the tub by himself.

* * *

The hot water burned in the whip marks on his feet. Yuki reached blindly for the soap and began washing himself down; his eyes transfixed of the cruel pattern of blood-red lines.

He didn't even know what he had been punished for this time. He had just briefly talked to Hatsuharu while fetching a glass of water for Akito. Just a few minutes. He was sure Akito couldn't be angry about him being too slow. And Haru was one of the Zodiac, so Akito couldn't be angry about the two of them talking to each other. Or could he?

It had been a lot like this lately.

When it all started, Yuki had always known what he was being punished for. The very first time it was because he'd accidentally revealed his Jyuunishi form to some children he was playing with. The second time was because he disobeyed one of Akito's orders…

But over the years, Akito's explanations for "punishing" him had become more and more random to the point where he hadn't given any explanations at all. It became increasingly difficult for Yuki to foresee when he was going to be punished. He could be safe for weeks; and then he'd suddenly find himself pressed up into a corner of the Dark Room again, with Akito towering over him, begging for mercy he knew he would never receive…

After one of this "punishments" Yuki had asked Akito why he always beat him on his feet, never on his back. Akito had leaned close to him and whispered in his ear: "Because I want you to look at me while I do it." He had chuckled the way only Akito could chuckle: Completely without joy or warmth; a sound that conveyed only cruelty. "You won't turn your back on me, little rat!"

Until then, Yuki hadn't even realized that what he wanted the most wasn't for the pain to stop. What he wanted the most was to look away from those merciless green eyes, those eyes that froze him in place, that smothered all thoughts of resistance, all hopes of escape; those eyes that rendered him helpless… Akito had known, of course. Nothing could be hidden from Akito…

"Sorry that took so long!" A cheerful voice pulled him back into the present. "Looks like you're almost done in here!"

Shigure dropped a bundle of fresh clothing and a towel onto the sink, then cast Yuki a worried look. "Nani? You look pale! Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine."

Yuki got out of the tub and started towelling himself, while Shigure rummaged around in the bathroom locker.

"Where did I…," he mumbled; and a second later: "Ah, here it is!"

Yuki donned a clean yukata and watched as Shigure fumbled a tube out of the little medicine box and skimmed the instructions.

"Hatori left this salve to apply to your wounds, so you won't get any scars," Shigure said. He glanced at Yuki's feet darkly. "At least not any more. Did Akito beat you often?"

Yuki stared at him. It was the first time anyone had ever mentioned aloud what was happening in that room. Hatori and his father had always cleaned his wounds, bandaged him up and exchanged a lot of dark looks. But they'd never said anything, as if by simply not acknowledging what was happening, they could make it undone. Hearing Shigure talk so casually about it felt strangely _wrong_.

"Not very often," Yuki said hastily. "Only when I did something bad." He felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. Why was he defending Akito? After all, it had been Akito who had done _him_ harm, not the other way around. Right?

Shigure looked at him strangely for a second, then shrugged, dropping the subject.

"Sit down," he commanded.

He was surprisingly skilled and gentle with applying the salve; all the while chattering on about the weather, the renovations, the girls outside… With some of the comments Yuki wondered how they were supposed to not "spoil his innocent ears" as Shigure had phrased it so recently. Not that he really minded. He was thankful for his cousin's bubbly voice chasing away Akito's cold laughter. That he really should be able to stay here seemed almost too good to be true.

"There. All done," Shigure said, satisfied. He wrapped clean bandages around Yuki's feet, then slipped socks over them to keep the bandages clean. "As good as new!"

* * *

Yes, it was too good to be true, and yet, Yuki was gradually starting to believe it as he strolled through the wilderness that surrounded Shigure's house; breathing in the smell of wood and earth in deep breaths, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun, savouring the knowledge that he would have this everyday from now on…

Shigure had joined the others on the porch to explain some scenes from the play the teenagers had trouble understanding – and to flirt with the girls some more, Yuki suspected. He giggled as he imagined Hatori's reprimanding expression would he see them. It already felt like he had known Shigure for ages, even if he'd barely spent a day in his presence.

Yuki dropped down into the soft grass and rolled on his back to look at the clouds. Shigure had said something about admitting Yuki to a school in a couple of weeks. Yuki felt his stomach clench a little nervously at the thought. He remembered what happened the last time he'd come into contact with "outsiders". On the other hand… it would be a chance to be "normal", to have a normal live…

Yuki decided not to worry about it right now. He could think about it later. For now, he just wanted to relax and enjoy this rare moment of peace in his life.

* * *

When all explanations were done, the teenagers began to practise some of the scenes. As there was no kissing involved, Shigure soon lost interest and sauntered off to "prepare dinner".

Yuki found him in the kitchen, sitting in front of the box he used as a work surface, hacking away at some vegetables. Unwilling to disturb him, he was about to go outside again, when he heard some telltale sniffles.

Yuki's eyes widened. Was Shigure _crying_?

Hesitantly, he walked up to his cousin and tucked his sleeve. "Shigure?"

Shigure turned around. Large tears were rolling down his cheeks, but he laughed at Yuki.

"Ever cut onions, Yuki-kun?"

Confused, Yuki shook his head. He tentatively reached out a hand to brush away the tears from his cousin's face. "Don't cry…"

"I'm not crying!" Shigure wiped his eyes with his forearm and laughed again. "I mean… I am, but" - suddenly his smile turned very gentle - "I'm fine, really. Thanks for worrying."

He made a movement as if to pat Yuki's head, then, sniffing his fingertips, he thought better of it and turned to continue his work.

Yuki stopped him by tugging his sleeve once more. He didn't want to be a nuisance, but there was something he needed to ask Shigure. Fortunately, his cousin didn't seem angry about the distraction.

"What is it, Yuki-kun?"

"You… haven't told me the rules yet."

"The what?" Shigure looked dumbfounded.

"The rules," Yuki insisted. "For living here."

"Well… there aren't any."

"But – " Yuki started to protest. If there weren't any rules, he wouldn't know when he did something wrong! He wouldn't know when to expect the next punishment. There wouldn't be the possibility to keep himself safe by following the rules…

Shigure was looking at him intently. He seemed to realize what was going on in Yuki's head, for he put his knife away and started staring off into space.

After a while, however, he looked at Yuki again with an apologetic grin and shrugged helplessly. "Sorry Yuki-kun. It seems I'm as lousy at making up rules as I am at following them. As it is, I can only think of one."

Yuki nodded eagerly. "I will always try to obey it!"

"Good." Shigure smiled. "Well, here it is: Always be yourself, Yuki-kun! That's the only thing you _have_ to do in this house."

* * *

In the evening, they grilled sausages over the open campfire.

Shigure told wild stories from his backpacking trip, half of which were completely made-up. The girls performed a song from the play; afterwards Shigure sang an obscene parody of the song that made everyone laugh except for Kureno.

When the sausages were done, they ate them between slices of white bread, with fried onions and tomato sauce. Yuki, used to the strictly traditional Japanese food served in the Main House, wasn't quite sure whether or not he liked the taste.

But he definitely liked everything else: The merry crackle of the fire, the warm glow it painted on everyone's hair and faces. The voices, the laughter, Shigure's startled yelp when some of the hot oil from the frying pan jumped on his hand. The darkness of the forest that surrounded them like a protecting wall and the blanket of stars over their heads…

And late at night, after they'd waved Kureno and the girls goodbye and extinguished the fire, Yuki curled up on the futon in his new room, closed his eyes and – for the first time in years – slept without nightmares.

* * *

tbc


	4. Confidence

With special thanks to Into.The.Depths for forcing me to update

* * *

**Confidence**

"_C-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-c-e," Fudo spelled out, filling in the empty boxes of his crossword puzzle. _

_"What do you think, Inuko?" he then asked, setting the newspaper aside and lighting up a cigarette. "Do people act confident because they _are_ confident; or _are_ people confident because they _act_ confident?" _

_Inuko blinked. It was one of those beautiful autumn days, and the warm sun was making him sleepy. _

_"There's no difference between the two," he finally yawned._

"_Oh?" Fudo smiled his toothless smile. "Do you really think it is that simple?"_

_From: "In the Year of the Dog" by Shigure Souma, chapter 5_

* * *

Shigure was leaning against the door to Yuki's bedroom, his eyes closed, his ear pressed against the warm wood, intently listening to the sounds coming from the inside of the room. It was ten o'clock in the morning, sunlight had been streaming in through every window for hours, but Yuki was still fast asleep. Shigure stood, mesmerized by the child's soft, rhythmic snoring, as if he could partake of Yuki's peace by simply listening to it.

With a slight shake of his head he finally forced himself to push away from the door and continue his way towards the kitchen, feeling admiration – and a good deal of envy – at Yuki's ability to still sleep the undisturbed sleep of the innocent, after all that had been done to him.

Shigure had not been innocent for some long years now…

* * *

Yuki had been with him for exactly one month; and today Shigure had to bring him back to Souma Estate for his monthly check-up with the family doctor. However, Shigure had told Doctor Souma that they would come in the afternoon, so there was no need to wake Yuki up yet.

Shigure fixed himself some tea and took it, together with his notice book, outside to the porch. He was writing a novella in sequels for a weekly newspaper, and the next chapter was due by tomorrow afternoon.

Sipping his tea, he calculated how much of the royalty money would be left after paying for electricity, water and food. It was depressing. At this rate, he'd need a decade to finish the renovations. Maybe he shouldn't have dropped his jobs in the city so quickly. But it was done now, and if Shigure was quite honest, he didn't mind at all _not_ having to stand around behind a bar, or next to an assembly line in some factory. He would just have to try a little harder with his writing.

He concentrated on his work and was making good progress by the time Yuki finally showed his face shortly before noon.

Almost a bit reluctantly, Shigure put away his work, and the two of them embarked on the half-hour walk to Souma Estate.

Yuki had been very reluctant about going back; for the first time protesting against something Shigure had told him. But after Shigure had promised that they would go in through the servant's gate; and that Akito wouldn't even know they were there, Yuki had complied, even if not particularly happy about it. When they reached the house of Hatori's parents without any problems or disturbances, Yuki seemed relaxed and willing to go along with the medical examination. As Shigure's presence wasn't needed (or _wanted_, as Hatori did not hesitate to inform him), he left Yuki at the mercy of the current family doctor and the designated next family doctor and strolled off across the compound towards the house where Yuki's mother and older brother lived.

* * *

Ayame had his own little apartment on the second floor and Shigure would have gone straight to the stairs that led up to it at the side of the building. But as he made his way across the front lawn, he heard his name being called and, turning, he saw a woman standing in the door to the ground floor.

He was surprised, both that she actually knew his name and that she would speak to him. Usually, she did her best to ignore him; in the same fashion she ignored her older son.

Unwilling to accommodate her, he just stood and waited for her to approach, watching her as she walked towards him. Despite his intense dislike for her, he was forced to admit that Masami Souma was a gorgeous woman. The gold-blonde colour of her hair might not be natural, she might wear a little too much make-up for Shigure's liking. But her girlish figure seemed to belie the fact that she had a grown-up son, and her perfect, almost painfully beautiful features were untouched by time.

Thanks to expensive cosmetic surgery, Shigure reminded himself, unwilling to admit to anything in favour of the woman who saw one of her sons only as an instrument to gain power, and the other not at all.

"Is it true that my son is at your house?" Masami asked without another greeting.

"Which one of your sons are you referring to?" Shigure asked innocently.

Masami didn't react to his provocation. "Why is he not with Akito?"

"Because Akito-_san_ decided that Yuki should live with me from now on."

That, of course, was a rather generous interpretation of the facts. But Shigure doubted very much that the woman had the courage to go and inquire the truth from Akito.

Masami looked as if she'd just bitten into a lemon. She didn't say anything, though, and after a moment Shigure bowed farewell and continued his way to Ayame's apartment.

* * *

The room still looked pretty much like it had when they had all been in high school; only instead of with magazines and random drawings, the furniture and most of the floor were now covered with samples of velvet, silk and linen in a dozen different colours, as well as sketches and patterns Ayame had designed for classes at the fashion-school he was attending since last year.

The master of fashion himself was lounging on the couch, his long hair tied back in a messy braid, busily painting his fingernails a vivid shade of green.

Shigure lightly tapped his knuckles on the glass door to draw Ayame's attention. The snake looked up, a delighted smile spreading across his face when he saw Shigure. He immediately set his nail paint aside and bounded towards the door, zick-zacking around papers and fabric samples, waving his hands through the air to dry the paint.

"Gure-san!" he called out, yanking the door open. "Come in, come in!"

He faltered a little when he realized that Shigure was alone and stuck his head out of the door to look left and right.

"Didn't you bring Tori-san? I promised to give him a manicure today!"

Shigure made his way to the couch, careful not to step on any of Ayame's works in progress.

He sighed theatrically, trying not to grin. "I asked him if he wanted to come. His answer contained vivid, but anatomically impossible imagery, as well as the words GET and LOST. I interpreted as a 'no'."

He sat down, leaning comfortably back against the cushions. "Anyway, he's playing doctor now with his father and Yuki-kun," he added.

"Poor Tori-san!" Ayame snickered. "He's such a workaholic; and we really do stress him out, don't we?"

He flopped down on the couch beside Shigure. "Well, I guess I'll have to give you a manicure then…"

"By all means!" Shigure smiled, offering no resistance when Ayame grabbed his left hand and began eagerly filing away at his fingernails.

* * *

"I can see you were with Ayame," Hatori commented dryly about an hour later, suspiciously eying the nails of Shigure's left hand, which were painted an annoyingly loud shade of pink.

"Oh, yes!" the dog answered happily. "You should have come. We had so much fun!"

"I'm heartbroken to have missed it," Hatori deadpanned.

He cast a quick glance into his father's office, but Yuki was out of earshot. After a moment's hesitation, he asked: "Did Ayame say anything about when he's going to visit Yuki?"

Shigure's smile faded. "He said he's very busy at the moment because of some project at his school or something. But I think he is just afraid to see Yuki. Apparently he thinks Yuki will hate him."

"Well, he might just start to hate him if he waits much longer to show at least some interest in him!"

Hatori shot a dark look in the general direction of Ayame's house. He started to say something more, but in that moment his father approached them with Yuki on his heals.

"So, what's the diagnosis, Doc?" Shigure asked.

Dr. Souma smiled. "Yuki's lungs have cleared up remarkably, considering it's only been one month since he moved in with you," he announced. "I would even recommend careful exercise in a controlled environment, to help his lungs get stronger. Not too much, of course."

"Exercise in a controlled environment?" Shigure repeated. "So I guess an American football team would not be the right place…" He snickered.

Even Hatori had to smile at the thought of tiny Yuki wearing the bulky protective clothing of a football player.

Shigure looked thoughtful for another minute; then his brow cleared. "Ah, I just had the most interesting idea!" And he added: "C'mon, Yuki! We're going to pay an old friend of mine a visit. I haven't seen Kazuma-dono in ages!"

Hatori reached out a hand to stop him. "Wait, Shigure! At Kazuma's, there's – "

"I know Ha-san." Shigure smiled at him, but Hatori couldn't help but notice that there suddenly was an oddly calculating look in those dark eyes.

"What do you think will happen, when the two of them come together?"

* * *

Lesson was in progress when they entered the dojo. The students were sitting cross-legged on the floor in two neat lines, all of them wearing white gis with belts in different colours. Their eyes were directed towards the front of the room, where the trainers were demonstrating some moves.

"That's Kazuma-dono, the one with the ponytail," whispered Shigure and pulled Yuki down beside him on the bench at the back of the room.

Yuki looked at the man. He seemed quite young, in spite of his long hair being faded to grey, and had an air of quiet confidence about him that Yuki liked immediately. He wore a black belt with his gi.

Yuki's eyes left the trainers and wandered over the rows of students. He noticed a snow-white head in between all the dark ones and excitedly pulled Shigure's sleeve. "Haru is here!"

Shigure followed his gaze. "Oh, yes," he said. "He's been training with Kazuma for a few years now."

Yuki kept his eyes fixed on his cousin. He didn't know Hatsuharu that well, but he liked him a lot, ever since they first met. He was almost something like a friend.

The trainers finished their demonstration and bowed to each other. The young man with the brown belt, who had partnered Kazuma, returned to his place at the end of the student's line.

"All right, that was the exercise for orange and green belts," Kazuma said. He noticed Shigure in the back of the room and gave him a smile and a nod, before addressing his students again. "Now another exercise for white and yellow belts. I want you to practise another kick. Kyo!"

A boy Yuki hadn't noticed before jumped to his feet. He had flaming orange hair and wore a dark blue belt. Bowing, he stepped up to Kazuma.

The trainer gave him a command, and the boy performed a kick. Kazuma caught his foot in mid-air, freezing him in the motion.

"Unlike the kick we practised last week, with this one you don't swing out your leg in a wide circle, but first you draw up you knee, then push your foot out, as Kyo just demonstrated," Kazuma explained, indicating the boy's stance. "The entire sole of your foot collides with the target. As you can see, the knee of Kyo's standing leg is bend slightly, and his upper body is tilted sideways to maintain balance."

He released Kyo's foot and the boy returned to ground stance.

"Practise the movements slowly at first, until you get them right," Kazuma advised. "Then, if you are confident, you can increase the speed."

He gave Kyo a nod. A small grin flickered across the boy's face. And then he performed a series of kicks at such a speed that Yuki had problems following the movement with his eyes.

"Thank you, Kyo." Kazuma smiled. Trainer and student bowed to each other, and the boy sprinted back to his place in the line.

"Very well. You've all got your tasks now. Practise independently for a while. I'll be right back."

Shigure, recognizing his signal, stood and looked down at Yuki. "Do you want to stay and watch?"

Yuki nodded and Shigure followed Kazuma through a door at the back of the room.

* * *

Yuki watched as the students began to practise the various tasks their master had given them. His eyes were on Hatsuharu for the most time, who was going through a series of attacks and defences with his partner.

While Yuki was still watching, Haru spotted him and stopped defending himself in order to wave at Yuki. His partner promptly used the gap in Haru's defences to land a punch on his chin that send the white-haired boy stumbling backwards.

Yuki winced. That must have hurt!

But Haru just grinned a little embarrassedly and rubbed his chin. Then he said something to his partner, who nodded and walked over to another pair of students.

Haru jogged over to where Yuki sat on the bench.

"Yuki!" he exclaimed, stopping right in front of him. "How are you? How is life with Shigure-sensei?"

Yuki smiled. "It's good. He's a little strange sometimes; but it is a lot better than living at the main house."

"I'm glad," Haru said sincerely. Then he asked: "Are you going to train with us?"

Yuki nodded. "Shigure and the Doctor want me to do some sport. And this looks nice."

"Yea, it's pretty cool," Haru agreed. "Sometimes you get hurt" – he rubbed his chin again – "but not much; and Kazuma-sensei is really nice."

Just then, the orange haired boy, Kyo, walked past them.

"Are you here to train or to talk?" he snapped at Haru, his voice sounding moody. "No wonder you suck, if you get distracted that easily!"

He walked on to an empty space near the end of the room, a few metres away from Yuki.

Hatsuharu rolled his eyes at the other's retreating back. "I'll better get back to training," he said.

* * *

While Haru returned to his partner, Yuki let his eyes wander over to Kyo. He watched, fascinated, as the orange-haired boy began to practise a series of kicks and punches into the air, as if he was fighting an invisible enemy. Yuki didn't know what this kind of exercise was supposed to achieve, but he was impressed by the other boy's fluid movements and the confidence he radiated while performing his task.

And suddenly he realized what it meant: The unusual hair colour, the extraordinary way he moved…

"He's the cat!" Yuki whisperd.

He hadn't meant for the other boy to hear his words, but from the way Kyo abruptly stopped his exercise and whirled around to stare at him, it was obvious that he had heard.

Yuki noticed now that the other boy's eyes also had an unusual colour: they were almost red. Those eyes had a dangerous look in them as Kyo stepped towards him.

"And who are you?" he demanded.

Yuki hastily stood up from the bench to introduce himself. "I… ehm… I'm Yuki Souma," he stammered. "I'm the rat."

He expected Kyo to get a little friendlier after that admission, but instead, the expression in the red eyes got even harder, almost hateful.

"The rat!" Kyo hissed. "Well, that explains a lot!"

He shot a nasty look in Hatsuharu's direction, who had again stopped practising with his partner to watch Yuki.

"You just walk in here and expect everyone to drop whatever they are doing to talk to you and cater for you, don't you?" Kyo continued. "No matter that they are supposed to be training!"

Yuki felt an unfamiliar sensation of fury built up within him at the other boy's unfair accusations.

"I'm not expecting anything!" he yelled, the words coming out a little louder than he'd intended. "You are not polite!"

"And why would I be polite to you, ratboy? You're the reason why everyone of our family hates me!"

Yuki flinched when Kyo leaped at him, causing the other boy's fist to miss his face by a few inches, instead smashing into the wall, where it left an ugly crack.

He was confused and frightened, but even more than that, he was angry. What reason did that boy have to leash out at him? How could he blame Yuki for not being accepted into the family? Why did he even _want_ to be accepted? Ever since Yuki had first heard the story of the cat, he'd envied this person. The cat didn't have to live with Akito. The cat didn't have to attend family functions. The cat was free!

And yet, this stupid boy was trying to beat Yuki up because he had the very freedom Yuki had always wanted!

His anger finally overrode his fear. He wouldn't be beaten! Not when he hadn't done anything to deserve that beating! Not by Akito, and certainly not by this impolite, stupid moron!

When Kyo advanced on him again, Yuki squeezed his eyes shut and leashed out with both his fists.

He was surprised to hear a startled yelp.

He tentatively opened his eyes again and saw Kyo lying on the floor a few metres away, staring up at him with a completely dumbfounded expression.

Yuki's eyes widened. Had he done that?

* * *

"You have to fill in a membership application, so Yuki will have proper insurance while training with me," Kazuma explained, searching through his papers for the right form. "For members who aren't of age I usually need the signature of a parent or legal guardian, but I'll accept yours for now."

"Thank you, Kazuma-dono," Shigure said quietly.

Frowning, Kazuma looked over at the younger man. Shigure seemed unusually subdued today. Sitting at the table, he had both his hands wrapped around his tea cup, as if seeking warmth, his eyes downcast in order to watch the steam rise up from the hot liquid.

Shigure had always been hard to read. As a boy, he would sometimes come to Kazuma's dojo, just to sit on the bench in the back and watch the others train. The first few times, Kazuma had tried to involve him in the training, but Shigure seemed happier when he was left alone. Finally Kazuma had concluded that maybe the boy was just looking for a safe place where he could hide from his family for a little while. He had left him in peace. Over the years, a tentative trust had developed between them; however, Shigure had never opened up completely.

But now he had brought Yuki to the dojo. So, maybe, Kazuma's efforts all those years ago had not been in vain after all…

He hoped that he could live up to Shigure's expectations and help Yuki to become a little stronger, both physically and mentally.

He handed Shigure the application form and was just about to ask for some more details on Yuki's state of health, when they heard a loud bang coming from the training room and the walls of the small, wooden building shook.

"What's going on?" Kazuma asked, startled. He hurried back into the training room; Shigure following hot on his heels.

* * *

"I don't understand." Kazuma looked from Kyo to Yuki and back again. "Kyo has been training martial arts for years. He should be much stronger than Yuki."

"It's because of the curse," Shigure said darkly, lowering his voice so Kazuma's students, who had gathered around Yuki and Kyo curiously, would not hear him. "Yuki-kun is cursed by the spirit of the rat; and the cat never wins against the rat. That's what the legend says. If Yuki-kun fought any of your other students right now, he might very well lose."

He sighed. "I'm sorry about the disruption. I didn't think they would recognize each other that quickly."

He absent-mindedly played around with the application form Kazuma had given him, rolling it into a tube and straitening it out again; his eyes focused on Yuki.

"I should probably warn you that if you agree to train him, you might have to deal with fights such as this one on a regular basis." He met Kazuma's eyes. "I would understand if you would rather not accept Yuki-kun as a student."

He held out the application form to Kazuma, so he could take it back if he wanted to.

Kazuma waved the gesture away. "They are not going to fight during my lessons," he said calmly. "This will be a good opportunity for Kyo to learn some discipline."

"Well, if you are sure…" Shigure smiled, quickly folding the form and shoving it into the pocket of his jeans.

There was just the tiniest hint of triumph in that smile; and Kazuma was suddenly sure that Shigure had never expected him to take the form back. Maybe even the vulnerability Shigure had displayed earlier had been a trick to ensure Kazuma would react to this scenario exactly the way Shigure wanted him to…

Kazuma shook his head, exasperated. This one would never change, would he?

"So, if everything's settled then, we'll be on our way!" Shigure said lightly. "I'll bring Yuki-kun for the lesson next week. That is, if _he_ still wants to come for training?" He looked at his young charge questioningly.

"I would like to come," Yuki said, bowing politely towards Kazuma. Then he shot a nasty glance in Kyo's direction. "I am not afraid of _him_!"

Shigure laughed out loud. "I can see: This is boosting your confidence already!"

* * *

tbc

* * *

**Author's note:**

Wew, I must be the slowest updater to ever have hauted this site!

I could not find the name of Yuki's mother, so I picked one for her. If anybody knows her name, please let me know, so I can correct it.


End file.
